NONFICTION - Dec. 15, 1985

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH by Werner Felix (Norton: $25). Just as the music of Bach respectfully sums up the glories of the Baroque era, “Johann Sebastian Bach” shows similar sentiments in surveying the life and oeuvre of the man himself. Here, no attempt is made--or needed--to break new ground or dig up new dirt. In unadorned prose, Werner Felix presents a vivid and sympathetic picture of Bach’s successful--if often troubled and tragic--life. Excerpts from correspondences and an abundance of color photographs and sepia-toned period engravings contribute to our understanding of what made this remarkable man tick. Most revealing, perhaps, are excerpts from a lengthy and detailed Nekrolog (eulogy) that help destroy the myth that Bach was ignored and unappreciated by his contemporaries. The well-organized survey of Bach’s music is peppered with appropriate musical examples (as well as samples of autograph scores), revealing the visual as well as the compositional perfection of his art. Thus, a layman need not feel put off by the sight of notes on a staff. In this, Bach’s Tricentennial year, the coffee table-size volume becomes a splendid souvenir . . . and a fine Christmas gift idea.